Jen Grayewski photography featuring WALTER KRUG

I am proud to present some excellent photography by Jen Grayewski. Jen worked at Play It Again Records in Bethlehem for many years and has a rather impressive record collection! These photos are very iconic for me, because I became involved in the LV punk scene during this time (mid to late 90's). 

What is impressive about these photos, to me anyway, is how they really capture action. WALTER KRUG was a band that capitalized on the punk rock that was so inspirational of the late 1970's. Members, Jesse Short, Cody Short, and Erik Breiniger (I hope I spelled that right) were iconic of 90's pop-punk nihilism and the epitome of 90's punk sarcasm. They are reminiscent of The NEW YORK DOLLS in full drag, yet they created their own image. I have personally witnessed the antics of WALTER KRUG dozens of times, and they have been entertaining as well as criticized (anyone remember Rocky from THE ICK heckling them at the Tatamy Fire Hall show in the late 90's?). In so many ways I can compare WALTER KRUG to punk bands that were prevalent in the late 70's, even though the music was very different. Bassist, Erik Breiniger, was exceptionally flamboyant as depicted in the following photos. Brilliant.

Nostalgia

Ok, at the risk of some personal embarrassment, I am posting some pictures of myself. I hope some of you get a good laugh! That is part of the point of posting them anyway.

The reason I thought to post these is because I started thinking about my own "salad days" when I played in THE FUX and THICK RICHARD from 1995ish to 2000. I also miss doing my radio show on WLVR, which I did for many years as part of the community staff. More than these things though, I really get nostalgic about shows that I went to see, the people that I met and formed friendships with...

I wonder if it is just me, or if the Lehigh Valley, like Johnny Loftus' punk cover band name suggests, has a NOSTALGIA CRISIS. I suppose we all feel this way from time to time, but the LV seems to feel so much more nostalgic than anyplace else I have been. This is partly because it is where I grew up, but I think the sentiment of nostalgia is especially strong here. Does anyone else feel this way?

Here are some pics of me from back in the day and one from last year's punk rock picnic with my niece, Mae, in Emmaus, PA. They are unfortunately the only pics that I can find of myself. That is itself a nostalgia crisis!

Jerry Green and the 4 G's

I've heard lots of stories about the legendary 4 G's in South Bethlehem. For those that don't know, the 4 G's was a legendary club that was, as noted in the following Morning Call article, the Lehigh Valley's CBGB's. It closed in 1992, but the last show was well documented:

http://articles.mcall.com/1992-01-04/entertainment/2848572_1_punk-sins-joe-hanna

Thanks to Mindie Keller for sending me this info! The owner of the 4 G's, Jerry Green, was also apparently legendary. There is almost always some mention of the hot tub in his club. I can't imagine what went on in there. Green strikes me as an almost Malcolm McLaren type, who many viewed as an opportunist that made big money from the punk shows. The end of the Morning Call article hints at that. Note that he is also the president of United Steelworkers Local 2599 and has been working for Bethlehem Steel 36 years! This image, while not the greatest photo by any means, really expresses the punk-industry nexus even though Green is probably not considered "punk"in the same way as we would think of a band being punk. He did provide the venue though, and without it I imagine punk in Bethlehem would not have developed the way it did. Check out Green's shirt.

Photo from http://www.uswlocal2599.org/

Punks that worked in Lehigh Valley industry

I would really like to speak with some punks that worked for Bethlehem Steel or other Lehigh Valley industries in the 1970's-1980's. If anyone reading this worked in Lehigh Valley industry or knows of someone who did, please let me know.

It seems to me that, similar to the emergence of 1977 punk in the United Kingdom, the decline of industry had a great impact on how punk developed in the Lehigh Valley. This is probably really obvious to people who lived through it, but I would really like to know more about how this manifest in the LV specifically. It would be great to include this point of view, and, of course, I would love to have a photo of the person (or people) that worked there.

In the meantime, I found this interesting photo...maybe someone out there knows this person. It is actually a tattoo of Bethlehem Steel on the back of Sarah Andrew. It is from a website called "save our steel." The blog was posted in 2004, so it is obviously outdated considering the steel was recently razed for the building of the Sands casino in south Bethlehem. Nevertheless, it is an interesting picture...

The link to the website can be found here: 

http://www.saveoursteel.org/sarahstattoo.htm

LVHC history photo montage 1982-2007

I'm not sure who put this together, but they deserve the credit for this excellent montage. There are lots of great photos of Lehigh Valley Hardcore from a variety of photographers in this collection. Some of these are absolutely classic and really provide a look into the culture of Lehigh Valley punk rock over the past few decades.

If anyone has photos that are pre-1982 or post-2007, please send me the links!

LVHC visual history

More Jen Chappell photography

These are some great pictures! I would consider these iconic images of punk shows in the 1980's-1990's. I love the expressions on the faces in the crowd.

I was probably too young for any of the shows at Airport Music Hall, I have heard countless stories about the shows there. The same thing goes for Wally's...wasn't it called something else after Wally's? Something with "Hot Tub" in it?

I do remember seeing the Ramones a few times at Baron's Beach Club (or Starz). Those were some of the best shows I have ever been to. Jen's picture really captures the spirit of the Ramones and the Lehigh Valley's affection for them. I would prefer to see the Ramones in the Lehigh Valley over New York! Just something special about the LV...

Featured: THE DESCENDENTS, LOVE BATTERY, MR. YUK, THE RAMONES, WESTON

Jen Chappell photography

Thanks to Jen for sharing these! I assume they are pre-digital. I'm looking forward to working with some of these photos. Bands featured: FORTHRIGHT, JESSICA, MR. YUK, MURPHY'S LAW. Please feel free to comment on the photos!

I'm also still interested in any and all show photos (of local bands, or local venues) that might be hanging around out there, especially crowd shots. If anyone has photos or knows of a great photo that should be included, please send me the link!